Being alone is not an exercise in loneliness. It teaches you to find the companion within yourself.

I’d recommend taking a vacation by yourself. It sounds a little lonely at first, but trust me, it’s worth it. Find a place where your soul can settle in and feel comfortable. Find a place where you can hear the birds sing. Preferably find a place where you can walk around in your underwear and not have to worry about anyone showing up; a place where you can sing out loud.

Why do I recommend this? It’s simple really. When we go through our daily lives, how many times do we wish things? We wish that we could practice our hobbies, read a book, go for a long walk or take a nap whenever we want and do so without interruption? Most likely we all have jobs and families to take care of—which is a beautiful thing, but sometimes these things make it especially hard to get in touch with our cores, our truth and our inner sense of belonging.

When we’re alone, without the distractions of someone else’s schedules and demands, and the hustle and bustle of everyday life, we have time—lots of time. Time to stop, time to listen, time to enjoy. So easily we forget! So easily we let the dust of life cloud our vision and we allow this dust to continue clouding our vision until we end up in a place where we feel uncomfortable and we end up not knowing who we are and how we got there. We end up angry, lost and fearful of our lives.

Taking a vacation by yourself forces you to spend time with the voice in the back of your mind, the voice that tells you all kinds of wonderful and self-defeating things. It’s important to acknowledge and recognize that voice. It’s important to understand that voice and give it compassion. It’s even more important to nurture that voice so it has room to grow.

Being alone reminds you of your own true beauty and the ways in which you are unique. It helps you to make friends with the person staring back at you in the mirror and maybe even liking who and what you see. It forces you to be yourself and do the things you love because, really, what else is there? It makes you appreciate you for you and gives you a wide-open space to breathe and simply be.

It reminds you that time is precious and to stop wasting it on trivial things like comparing yourself to others or trying to fit some mold of society. It also reminds you there is a lot of time and to stop using it to sit in front of the computer or the television. It reminds us that there is a big, beautiful world out there. It’s a wonderful treat. If you take the time to let yourself unwind, you will surely start to uncover the gems that lay dormant inside of you. It allows you the quiet to listen to your own whispers and to finally take time to paint that picture you’ve been putting off for months, or to do whatever you’ve been setting aside.

Mostly, I think it’s important in this life to like who you are. The path through life is a long one and full of upsets, failures, stresses and disappointments, but if you can find the time to enjoy the beauty, you won’t allow yourself to drown in the overwhelming pool of life. It’ll allow you to walk through life side-by-side, holding hands with your best friend—yourself.

You don’t have to go far or spend lots of money; you don’t even have to invest much time—maybe just a day. Just do it! Go away with yourself, romance yourself, discover something new about you or the world around you. Take time to look into the horizon and stop for an extra moment to let yourself be in awe of the beauty that surrounds you.

Dance around in your underwear and feel good about being you. Follow your heart, get sunburn, have a glass of wine, do some yoga, cook yourself a gourmet meal and treat yourself to a candlelight dinner. Whatever it is that pulls you, by all means move toward it—it’s the only way to our true lives, our truest truth.

When you return from your vacation, hopefully you will return revived and renewed. Hopefully you will have found a new sense of calm and peace in your life and will have remembered all of the gifts you have to share with not only yourself, but with the whole world. Remember, life is not all that serious and it’s okay to make your mark. It’s okay to pave your own path. It’s okay to laugh. It’s okay to enjoy the wind in your face.

Teresa Kruger is a self-proclaimed dreamer and romantic. She is newly wed and sculpting her life while waiting for beautiful mysteries to unfold before her. Teresa opened her very own yoga studio in Wisconsin. Check out her traditional Hatha yoga and meditation classes. She was certified as a Hatha yoga teacher in India. When she is not teaching yoga you can find her nose buried in a book, a paintbrush in hand or writing heartfelt essays and poetry. Teresa enjoys vegetarian cooking, walking Maggie (her miniature pinscher), hiking and exploring outdoors.

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Editor: Alexandra Grace

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